Chapter 6

Austin reached out with his long fingers to retrieve the tiny kitsune monument standing proudly and majestically on the corner of Skylar’s desk. It had been years since his last sighting a cute nine-tailed fox. It caused memories of his anime and manga obsession as a child to resurface. How curious for her to have such a carving, he thought, surprisingly mesmerised by its shiny black lustre. He couldn’t guess the material; tiny imperfections shone through the more he stared at it.

Skylar immediately caught the wrist of his arm, her nails digging into his skin. Her slender fingers barely reaching all the way around the circumference of his wrist, but her grip was deadly…as was the emerging look in her eyes. The corner of his lips quirked up as his eyes met hers, the catalytic agent for a lethal storm.

“Forgive me for being fooled then.” She shoved his arm away, making her way around her desk, blocking his gaze of the kitsune. She hated having her possessions touched, especially ones she used to enhance her spirituality.

“Common mistake, no worries.” he shrugged, noting a smidgen of hearty, crimson globule staining her ashen, pointed fingernails. He wondered if she left marks on the men she was intimate with. How wild and unbidden was Skylar Taavon? The thought intrigued him being a man of unusual tastes himself.

“The answer is still no, Cyner.” She dug his mind away from less than appealing thoughts, guessing the reason behind his tiresome intrusion. She would never marry the likes of Austin Cyner.

She crossed her arms at her chest, tucking them under her breasts and causing them to lift slightly. Austin glanced at them appreciatively, but not long enough to draw attention. Her breasts had a habit of threatening to pop out, a habit he did not mind one bit. The second teaser more or less confirmed his thoughts on the first, her skin would be smooth and supple. Not that he ever wanted confirmation.

“What’s the material?” he nodded towards the kitsune, an attempt to keep the thoughts of Skylar where they belonged, out of his sexual interest. Skylar inched around instinctively, not at all needing a visual representation to make sense of his inquiry.

“It’s obsidian for protection against negative energy.” She replied spontaneously. She’d often been asked countless questions about her obsidian kitsune from people that frequented her office. Her usual response was almost mechanical by now, requiring no deep thought to trigger an answer.

Of course, how hadn’t he realised? It had that glasslike appearance that was representative of uncrystallised volcanic rock. “You actually believe in such things?” A peculiar interest mind-set to have. A thorough investigation of her following reactions were undertaken by him. His tone failing to conceal his cynical view on the topic. Skylar chewed in the inside of her cheek, her eyes blinking successively at the audacity.

“I am big believer in the thought that the things you surround yourself with can have an impact on your life. Besides, it worked well up until this particular moment.” She eyed him up and down, all the negativity she’d avoided in the past ten years came tumbling through her door tenfold in the vile, gut-wrenching image of *him*. Her spirit guides must think this funny, she could almost hear them snickering at her.

Damn it! She hated how put together he was. It made it difficult for her to laugh at him for something superficial, peeved that he had impeccable fashion sense and knew how to play to his body’s attributes. A body she dreamed of cutting into pieces and depositing them around the world. Sort of like how the Egyptian God Seth killed his brother Osiris. Except, she would be on the side of good for there was nothing that could convince her of Austin’s existence being sanction by the Gods.

She could always bad mouth his personality but she was repulsed at the thought of knowing too much of Austin Cyner, fearing her body may reject her brain in such a dangerous process. No person was fit to absorb that much information about dark entities, it almost always spelled disaster.

“Pretty sure you invited negativity into your own life by getting involved with Colin.” He’d taken to folding his arms in the shape of an ‘L’ his thumb finger lifting his chin while his index curved downwards over his upper lip like a faux moustache, sporting the nerve to appear contemplative.

Skylar rolled her eyes as far back into her head as humanly possible. He was right, but she would never give him the satisfaction. At the moment she needed him to leave. “Leave. Now.” None of the commands friendly.

“Will you ask me to leave as well?” Thomas had been busy finding out about the establishment Skylar was running from Paris, allowing Austin to go in ahead of him. That, he realised, was a mistake. The tension in the air was almost noxious, wafting through his nostrils and rendering him just a tad dizzy.

He’d forgotten the storm level these two conjured once alone. He remembered thinking there was some latent sexual tension there in their youth and attributing Austin’s distaste to the fact that Skylar had been too young for men of their age to trifle with. Not that many men were capable. She’d been strong willed and unyielding even then, her training ensuring that a harmless seeming girl could knock a man three times her size on his ass.

Forgotten was the wave of murderous tendency crashing against her skull at the recognition of Thomas Lynne. She hadn’t set eyes on him in ten whole years. Her heart was hammering manically against the walls of her chest, begging to be let out.

“Thomas.” His name floated out like a gentle breeze. The gentlest that Austin had ever heard, was that stars in her eyes? He refused to think too much on it.

“Sky,” Thomas bolted past Austin and grabbed her up into his arms. “I’m sorry about everything.” He whispered against her ear and she knew he must have felt guilty but she never blamed Thomas. She awkwardly patted him on the back, she didn’t do physical touch.

Thomas felt her unyielding stance and smiled. Some things never changed, he thought as he parted from her. “I am happy to see you though.” She smiled, feeling as if the evil eye were upon her.

No, that was just Austin lurking in the corner of the room with his eyes set on her, if that wasn’t the eye of evil she didn’t know what was. She shifted uncomfortably, hating the show of her nostalgic, emotive side in his presence.

“Why didn’t he get the knife-throw as a welcome?” Austin turned his attention back towards the pen knife sticking out from the file cabinet behind them.

“I didn’t think I need to explain how much I despise you.” Her arms crossing once more as she addressed the thorn in her side.

“I’m special, is what I’m hearing.” He said the words to Thomas, leaning back against the wall, his eyes sparkling. Obvious that he was having fun at her expense.

“A start for couples who wish to get married.” Thomas glanced back at Austin and shrugged unsurely. His need to help his best friend was tempered by his genuine fear of Skylar turning her wrath upon him. He really had no desire to have her out of his life again. How could he choose a side when he had to contend with the two people who had meant the world to him on opposing sides.

Austin clapped his hands triumphantly, “See, we are already well on our way to becoming a conventional couple.” He commented sardonically, that stupid smirk once more annoying the hell out of Skylar.

“One problem, I don’t like you.” Her jaw was clasped so tight that she mentality reminded herself to make an appointment with her dentist.

“So you keep saying, but many couples hate each other. It’s just a stage in ever relationship.” Austin glanced down at his wrist watch. He had a mission in less than two hours.

“I remember you hating me too.” She narrowed her eyes on him.

“If it helps, that hasn’t really changed.” He furrowed his brows and glanced at her fleetingly.

“Wait a minute,” She demanded, cutting off any further words that may have slipped out of the serpent’s tongue. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” She jabbed a finger into Thomas’ chest to accentuate the accusation, “To talk me into marrying this joker?” if her finger were a weapon, Austin was certain he’d be dead on the spot as she pointed at him, gasping at Thomas.

Thomas raised his hands up defensively, parting his lips to speak.

“And you,” she pointed to Austin, taking a few slow, predatory steps towards him, “the devil out to destroy me,” she named him, “You honestly thought that a man I hadn’t seen in ten years had the ability to convince me to marry you?” She was inches away from him now, tempted to pull the pen knife out and plunge it into his neck. Her office walls could use a splash of colour. She laughed menacingly, “The devil himself wouldn’t dare try.”

“Was worth a shot.” Austin blinked in slow motion.

“Right,” the word oozed out of her mouth in a slow embodiment of incredibility.

“You boys are a bit of a let down from the reputation you’ve crafted.” She didn’t turn her attention away from Austin, her teeth appearing sharp and menacing. This had to be the stupidest attempt at persuasive if she ever saw one.

“You’ve been keeping tabs?” Austin propped himself off the wall in one smooth movement, bringing himself closer to her, their breath’s mingling together to breathe fire. His eyes glistening mischievously as if he’d heard a vital piece of information he could blackmail her with.

She reached out her hand, placing her palm on his chest. Austin glanced down at her hand making contact with his body, “You keep finding ways to invade my personal space,” she whispered, glancing down at his smug grin, “careful, or I may start to think you like me more than you let on.” She applied pressure on his chest, pushing him back against the wall. Austin licked his lips and grinned as his shoulder hit the back of the wall.